jackson x



(No-Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

J. O. JACKSON 8: N'. MAGB-ETH. INDIUATING VALVE.

No. 453,274. Patented June 2, 1891 ALARM llllllllllllllllullllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllll WITNEQSES INVENTORS,

. Q MM. m.

(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. O. JACKSON & N.-MACB-ETH-. INDIGAT ING VALVE Patented June 2,1891.

FIGZ

3 R 0 T N E m Q w E N n (No Model.) v a Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. '0. JACKSON -&IN. .MACBETH. INDIOATING VALVE.

No. 453,274. Patented June 2, 1891.

FIGI 5 WITNESSES INVENTORS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES OAKDEN JACKSON AND NORMAN MAOBETH, OF BOLTON, ENGLAND.

lNDlCATlNG-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,274=, dated June 2, 1891.

Application filed July 16, 1888. Serial No, 280,237. (No model.) Patented in England January 16, 1888, N0. 658.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES OAKDEN JACK- sON, of Bolton, in the county of Lancaster, England, and NORMAN MACBETH, of Bolton aforesaid, both subjects of the Queen of- Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful improvements in valves or taps for the purpose of giving an alarm or indicating when they are closed or opened, (for which we have applied for Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 658, bearing date January 16, 1888,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention has special reference to the stop-valves used in water-mains or supplypipes, particularly those which are used in connection with fire apparatus, such as automatic sprinklers, where it is important that it should be known whether the valves are open or closed. It is designed chiefly to prevent tampering With the valves by unauthorized persons and with the object of indicating whether the valve is open or shut, giving an alarm should the valve at any time be closed or partially closed or not opened wideenough.

It consists, essentially, in providing the main or stop'valve with a small port or passage or subsidiary valve, which remains closed while the main valve is wide open, but which opens by the action of closing the main valve and allows a stream of water to flow to an alarm-signal or indicator apparatus to call attention to the fact that the main valve has been moved.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown applied to three varieties of valves in use for controlling the flow or passage of water and other fluids, which will, we consider, be sufficient to illustrate the invention,without showing or. specifying each particular form of valve or valve-casing to which the invention may be applied.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of plug or swivel-valve constructed to embody our invention. Fig. 2 is a. sectional elevation of sluice-valve raised by screw. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of screw-valve. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of part of valve similar to Fig. 3. I

The valve-casing A, which has the usual inlet-orifice B and outlet-orifice C, is formed or constructed with an outlet port or passage and the port or passage D open.

D in connection with or opening into the inlet side of the valve-casin g or that side which is open to the fluid when the valve is closed. The port or passage D may be opened or closed by an additional or subsidiary valve, as in Figs. 1 and 4, or maybe opened and closed by the main valve E, as in Figs. 2 and 3, the valves in each instance being arranged in their relation to the port or passage D, so that when the main valve is open the passage D is closed; but should the main valve be closed or partly closed the port or passage will be opened to allow the fluid to flow therethrough.

In Fig. 1 a second valve-chamber F, with a piston-valve G sliding therein, is fitted to or constructed in the casing A of the main valve. When the main valve E is open, as shown, the piston-valve G is held down, so as to cover or close the passage D by the valve-lever e engagingwith the rod g. The turning of the lever e to close the valve E releases the rod g and the piston-valve G rises by the pressure of the water acting under it, uncovering the passage D and allowing the Water to flow through the pipe H to an alarm-signal apparatus placed in any convenient position to draw attention to the fact that the valve E had been closed. If desired, the valve and chamber may be so arranged as to open the ports should the piston-valve G be forced down below its normal position.

In Fig. 2 the port or passage D opens direct into the chamber of the main valve E. The valve E shown is an ordinary sluicevalve raised by a screw. In the position shown in the drawings the valve E is closed When the valve, E is opened, it rises and covers over the end of the passage D, thus closing it. On closing the valve again the port orpassageD is uncovered and opened and the water flows along it to the alarm-signal.

In Fig. 3 an ordinary valve, with circular seating raised by a screw, is shown. When opened, the top of the valveE closes the port or passage D. When the valve E is shut, as shown, the passage D is open and water flows to the alarm-signal apparatus.

Fig. 4 shows a valve similar to that shown in Fig. 3, in which the flow of the fluid is in the opposite direction. The port' or passage D is placed in the bottom of the valve-chamher and a subsidiary valve G and chamber F connected therewith. The steady-spindle e of the valve E presses open the valve G when the valve E is closed.

It will be obvious that the invention may be applied to other forms of stop-valves than those shown, which are used in water-mains to control the flow of the fluid and to valves placed either vertically or horizontally and where subsidiary valves to control the opening and closing of the port or passage D are employed. These may be of any suitable form, such as a piston-valve, D-valve, plug-valve, or the like; or the small valve may be made to form part of the main valve, or may be worked from the actuating mechanism of the main valve by any suitable connecting mechanism, being always so arranged that the closing of the main valve will open the port or,passage leading to the alarm-signal. Such valves may be operated in a variety of ways without departing from the invention, which is to provide for a flow of water to give an alarm-signalor indicate that the valve has been closed. The water may flow out from the top or side of the valve-chamber or through or past the main valve or its spindle or from the bottom at the valve-seating or in any other suitable way, the outlet port or passage D being so placed that the closing of the main valve opens it.

A small tap, as shown at I, Fig. 1, may be inserted in the port or passage D to shut off communication with the alarm-signal at any time or to enable the main valve to be closed for the purpose of repairs without bringing the alarm-signal into operation. This tap may be secured by lock and key to prevent its being tampered with by unauthorized persons.

The alarm-signal apparatus, for which in itself no special claim is made, may be of any known form which will actuate a gong or whistle or other signal by the movement or pressure of the water in the passageD or pipe 11. This alarm-signal apparatus is placed in a central or conspicuous place where attention will be called to it as soon as it has been operated by the closing movement of the main stop-valve.

\Ve are aware that alarm-signal apparatus have been actuated by the movement or pressure of water for the purpose of indicating when a movement of water in pipes takes place, and we do not claim any particular kind of alarm-signal.

We are aware that valves have been constructed with waste ports, through which, when closed, to drain the pipe system on one side of the valve. \Ve are also aware that alarm mechanisms have been connected in various ways with check-valves and various other Valves. It is to be noted, however, as a distinguishing feature of our invention that our supplemental port H is connected with an alarm and arranged to be closed only when the main valve is fully open. We believe ourselves to be the first to combine with a stop-valve an alarm arranged to receive the actuating-fluid as the main valve is closed and at no other time; and therefore What we claim as our invention is- A stop-valve having a subsidiary outletpassage D, closed by the opening and opened by the closing of the main valve, in combination with an alarm mechanism connected with said passage to be operated by fluid delivered therethrough.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J. OAKDEN JACKSON. NORMAN MACBETII. Witnesses:

J. OWDEN OBRIEN, CHARLES OVENDALE. 

